The truth about poverty rings true in Pitts column

Wednesday

Apr 9, 2014 at 12:01 AMApr 9, 2014 at 3:32 PM

Thank you for publishing “The real face of poverty” by Leonard Pitts (April 3). Stereotypes of poverty seldom tell a full story. When the experience of a real, live, flesh-and-blood person is told, the truth is very different. The story of Shanesha Taylor is a case in point. Homeless and unemployed, she was desperate for work. When called for a job interview she had no one to care for her two children. In her desperation she did a very foolish thing: she left the children in her car, doors locked and windows cracked, while she went for the interview. A very dangerous situation. She was cited for felonious abuse of children and had them taken from her.

How different the usual picture of poverty: Someone lazy, indolent, not looking for work, only help from the government. Thanks for this truer depiction of poverty. I appreciate the newspaper trying to present both sides of this issue, but it seems that often the more conservative side is cited more frequently. It is good to read a “real-life” example of the problem.